June 5, 2022 – Pentecost Sunday
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Welcome
Call to worship
One: How manifold are your works, O Lord
All: In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
One: You send forth your spirit, and they are created;
All: and so you renew the face of the earth.
One: I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
All: I will praise my God while I have my being.
Lighting of the Christ Candle
Opening Hymn
“Spirit, Spirit of gentleness” (Book of Praise 1997, hymn 399). Words and music (both 1975; tune “Spirit” or “Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness”) by American songwriter and composer James Keith Manley (1940–). Words and music copyright © 1975 James K. Manley.
Prayers of Approach and Confession, & Lord’s Prayer (sins)
Holy God, from our scattered lives we gather to praise you, for you are great and wonderful. With joyful hearts, we celebrate the work of your Spirit. At the dawn of creation, you sent your Spirit to bring life. Over the centuries, your Spirit called your servants to proclaim your love and justice. Through the flames of Pentecost, your Spirit gave birth to the church with energy and wonder. Transform us by your Spirit to become more faithful followers of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Without your power, O God, we are lost. We have done the things we would avoid, and what you desire, we have not done. By your purifying fire transform our lives; guide us into honesty and compassion so that filled with your peace our dreams and visions may be one with yours, through Jesus Christ.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
Declaration of Pardon
By the power in whom we live and move and have our being, we are forgiven and given a new spirit! Thanks be to God!
The Peace
The Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Fun with the young at heart (children’s story)
The Life and Work of the Church (Announcements)
Guildwood Choir Presents
Scripture Reading
Acts 2: 1–21 <– this links to on-line text of the NRSV bible
Click here for additional scripture readings from today’s lectionary. Links courtesy of the Revised Common Lectionary, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
Sermon
Our human language has tremendous power. It can make us laugh, but it can also make people cry. It can make us encouraged, but it can make people discouraged. It can help us express and communicate. We can use it to build up, but we can also use it to tear down.
Today is Pentecost Sunday. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and how the early Christians experienced the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came to a group of timid people, and how the Holy Spirit empowered them to go out and speak different languages. It transformed their language.
I am going to read verses 1 to 4,
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”
The Holy Spirit empowered them to speak and transformed their languages.
I don’t know what happened exactly in Jerusalem two thousand years ago… I can only imagine what the Bible is trying to show us through the story… I believe the Spirit of God transformed not only their spoken language but also the way they speak through their eyes, hands, and hearts, how they offer forgiveness, how they offer kindness and humility, and how they share the life of the risen Christ….
I believe even today: the Spirit of God transforms the language of our hearts and spirits. Our human language reflects the way we think, the way we communicate, the way we care, the way we forgive, the way we accuse, the way we question, the way we live, the way we pray, the way we remain silent….
As a Christina living today, our question becomes this.
“How do we speak our language today?” “What do we speak?
“Do we speak hate? Do we speak fear? Do we speak love? Do we speak God?
“Do we allow the Holy Spirit to speak through our human language?”
“Can people hear God’s voice through our human language?”
We are not talking about winning an argument about God or how well we can articulate who God is, but do our words carry God’s forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, and love?
I wonder if 1 Corinthians 13: 1–3 summarizes my sermon today,
“If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all my possessions and if I hand over my body so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Perhaps what the Holy Spirit has transformed is not just their language, but their relationship with God and their relationship with each other and their relationship with themselves.
Perhaps we need to remember we have been given so much power. What we say and how we say it can help others experience the presence of God in their lives. Of course, we can do the opposite as well. I know I am not always good at doing that. Sometimes I say things out of frustration, and other times, I say things careless without thinking about what others are going through…
People carry so much hurt. It is hard to overcome negative things they heard from their loved ones. We allow them to become poison. May we ask God’s grace so that the Holy Spirit transforms our languages in our hearts?
Musical Reflection
Offertory
We remind everyone that we must continue to pay our bills; in the absence of being present at Sunday worship, you may sign up for pre-authorized remittance (PAR), donate online, or drop off your offering envelope in the mailbox at the church. Do not leave a cash donation unattended in the mailbox; instead, please call the office (416.261.4037) to ensure someone will be there to receive it. The building will be checked daily for mail and phone messages. If you are not comfortable leaving an envelope, you are welcome to contact the office (once again, 416.261.4037) and someone will pick up your offering.
Dedication of our Gifts
Prayer of dedication
Make us thankful every day, O God, for the gifts that alight upon us from your bounty. Guide us to use these offerings to your glory for the health of your people and this creation. AMEN.
Lighting Candles of Peace for People in Ukraine and the world
Responsive Prayers of Thanksgiving and Hope
With joy for the gift of the Holy Spirit, together, let us pray for the well-being of the church, the world, and all in need, saying God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We thank you for the wonder that erupted on the day of Pentecost, for the birth of the church, for the gifts of amazement and challenge, and for all the witnesses whose lives have been altered by your power alive in our world. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the many peoples of this earth whose visions differ, whose languages offer special insights, whose ways of worship and compassion feed our own, we thank you, God in your mercy; hear our prayer.
For the earth itself, through whose creatures we see your love and in whose winds we remember the coming of the Spirit, we thank you. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Make us grateful for the confounding experiences the Holy Spirit’s presence creates in our lives, for the marvel of new visions, for the wisdom in prophetic words, and for the prayers of your great high priest. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Make us hungry to protect the health and nurturance of all people; let your fire burn in the leaders of the nations, in governors and mayors, on city councils and school boards; guard the lives of peacemakers, solders, philosophers, and artists. Pool the skills and passion of all your people for the sake of our delight and the nourishment of others.
God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Give comfort to all people who are refugees from war and famine, those who are lonely are frightened, ill, imprisoned, homeless, or without work, and those who face death today. We pray especially for those we name now silent… God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Knowing it is your Holy Spirit who has flowed through your witnesses of ages past, we give you thanks for all the saints who have gone before us. With them, and with confidence that you hear our prayers, we commend all for whom we lift our voices, trusting that you give more than we need. Through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing Hymn
Closing Hymn
“She comes sailing on the wind” (Book of Praise 1997, hymn 403). Words and music (1985: tune “She Flies On”) by Canadian Anglican clergyman Gordon Light (1944–); arrangement (1994) by Canadian composer and musician Andrew Donaldson (1951–). Words and music copyright © 1985 Common Cup Company; arrangement copyright © 1994 Andrew Donaldson. Words, music and arrangement used by permission of One License, license number 722141-A.
Benediction
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (the risen Christ), the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you always. AMEN.
Choral Amen
- Go Now in Peace”. Words by American educator, lyricist and composer Don Besig (1936–) and American lyricist Nancy Price (1958–). Music by Don Besig. Words and music copyright © 1988 Harold Flammer Music, a division of Shawnee Press; used by permission of One License, license number 722141-A.
- Performed by Rachelle Risling (keyboard) and the GCPC Senior Choir. Audio and video production by Rachelle Risling.
- Audio and video recording copyright © 2021 Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church.
Copyright © 2022 Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church
Last updated 2022-06-10 – Updated hymn information.